Riders for Health
Riders for Health courier. Photograph by Tom Oldham, Riders for Health
Riders for Health
Riders for Health is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that has provided health care to rural African villages using motorcycles and motorcycle ambulances since 1986. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa underscored that reliable transport is essential to a strong and far-reaching health system. In Liberia, Riders for Health set up a program with support from CDC, the CDC Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide the Liberian government with a sample transport system. Starting in April 2015, 70 motorcycle couriers across 15 different counties connected health centers to laboratories—transporting blood and sputum samples to test for the disease.
Below is a 3D scan of an outfit worn by Riders for Health couriers.
Below is a gallery of members of the Riders for Health organization. Photographs by Tom Oldham
Trunos Grison
Trunos Grison, who set up the sample transfer system for Riders for Health, describes the crucial role of the organization in the outbreak. (Transcript, Transcript)
Riders for Health annotated Liberian route map
